Facts About Iceland

North Iceland - Asbyrgi (Ásbyrgi)

How would you like to visit a place where Odinn, the chief pagan god of old, once rode his eight legged horse? The horse put down one of its legs and created this wonderful hoof like green oasis. According to the Northern mythology of course...

Ásbyrgi is a part of the National Park of Jökulsárgljúfur in the north of Iceland. It is basically a long canyon (about 3 1/2 km) with very high walls. Families love it in Ásbyrgi, the area is partly wooded and it is great fun for kids. It is perhaps not exactly a secret spot but worth mentioning here since you have to leave Road One to get to it.

When in Asbyrgi you must also pay a visit to Hljoðaklettar which are rock formations, remains of ancient volcanoes.

Photo by Chris 73. Wikipedia commons: Official licence

North Iceland - Namaskard (Námaskarð)

Namaskard is a sulfur field right on the main road – the Ring Road. Park your car at the car parking area and walk beside the boiling mud pools and sulfur gases.

The colors are simply wonderful and the smell terrible! Be careful in this place. You can walk around the area where the paths are clearly signed but stay behind the ropes around the pools, the ground is crumbly and accidents do happen.

Photo taken by Roger McLassus. Wikipedia commons: Licence
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:1972_Iceland_Namaskard_B.jpg

North Iceland - Vaglaskogur

In the valley of Fnjóskadalur, east of Akureyri, lies the second largest forest of Iceland, Vaglaskógur.

A perfect place for camping, hiking and enjoying the peace there and smell of wood and nature. There is a tree nursery one of the most important ones in Iceland. Vaglaskógur also hosts a few of the highest trees in Iceland.

North Iceland - Drangey

Drangey, the island hideaway of one of the biggest heroes of the Icelandic Sagas, Grettir Ásmundarson – an outlaw from the 11h century. His superhuman feats are of course recounted and even embellished in our Sagas.

He and his brother are said to have lived on the island for 3 years before they were killed by their enemies.

Photo by Jutta234. Wikipedia commons. Official licence.
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drangey

Western Fjords - Secret hot spots

The whole of West Fjords is one big secret hot spot! 

This is one area that often gets left out when travelers, both foreign and Icelandic travel the Ring Road. This is a great pity since nowhere else in Iceland is nature as spectacular and glorious. Soaring mountainsides, deep valleys and numerous possibilities for outdoors activities.

Photo of Drangajokull glacier in west Iceland by Johann Dréo. Wikipedia commons. Attribution 2.5.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Islande_glacier_Drangajokull.jpg

West Iceland - Flatey

Flatey is the name of an island in Iceland’s greatest archipelago, Breiðafjörður.

Breiðafjörður has so many small islands that it’s almost impossible to count them.  Many of the islands were inhabited the whole year around in earlier times but only in Flatey there remains a year-round settlement.

Photo by Salvör Gissurardottir. Wikipedia commons - Official licence.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Flatey-hus4.jpg

Secret hot spots

There are many secret hot spots in Iceland. My secret spots are not necessarily among the most famous places of Iceland. Instead, they are mostly wonderful spots that lift the spirit and nourish the soul - some are well known to Icelanders, others not. Foreign visitors rarely know about them.

Photo: Ellidaar, a salmon river that runs through Reykjavik

East Iceland - Hallormsstadur

You can't visit East Iceland without enjoying the largest wooded area in Iceland, Hallormsstaður which incidentally is also the birthplace of my father! A hot spot in East Iceland of much beauty which bears witness to the remarkable reforestation that has taken place in Iceland from 1899.